Yu Yu Hakusho: Awakened Evil
by CoreyKartana
Summary: 21 year old Yusuke Urameshi had become content with living a normal human life, but a new threat is awakening from a deep slumber, and with Demon World suddenly separating itself from Human World, it's up to Yusuke. Question is: can he still do it?
1. Prelude to Destruction

**Chapter One**

Prelude to Destruction

The sun was already starting to set as Yusuke Urameshi closed up his ramen shop for the day. He threw on his green sports jacket and started walking. Another day, another small wad of cash in his pocket. He was making a decent living for someone who never finished high school. Keiko had urged him to go back to school on a number of occasions, but the suggestions just seemed to go through one ear and out the other. The twenty-one year old was happy with what he had…at least on the outside.

A strike of a match lit the end of his cigarette as he left the shop and started to walk to his modest apartment in a shadier part of town. His mother, with her "connections" had offered him money and a better place to live several times, but just like with Keiko he shrugged it off and told her he was fine the way things were.

So much had passed these last three and a half years that Yusuke felt as though he was being overwhelmed with change. Keiko was no longer in Japan, but in a high-class school in England. She had received a full scholarship there and was doing quite well. She and Yusuke were technically dating, but with her living halfway across the world and busy with her schooling, Yusuke felt like they were getting more and more distant with each passing day.

Even Kuwabara was doing well for himself. He was still nearby, going to a university in Toyko and trying to become a professor of some sort. Kurama, or Suichi as he insisted nowadays, had taken over his step-father's business and was doing very well for himself in Kyoto.

Everyone was moving on with their human's lives as if nothing had ever happened. As if the Toguro and Sensui, the Demon World Tournament and everything else had just been one long, incredible dream.

Ever since he had been fired from his Spirit Detective position, the guardian of Earth, Yusuke tried to find normality in the Human World, but every morning he'd awaken from the same dreams; dreams of his past cases, and what could have became of him had he stayed in Demon World.

Enkii, the king of the demons, had proposed another tournament in four years to see who would become the next Demon King. Back then, Yusuke had said he'd return, promising the demon friends he had left behind that he'd be even stronger than before, but now…

It was a week ago that Koenma, prince of the Spirit World, had come to pay him a visit.

"What's up, Koenma?" Yusuke had asked, passing his former boss a bowl of steaming noodles. "Sorry if they're not up to your royal standards."

Koenma, who was wearing a tan suit and white tie, just smiled. "I'm sure they're fine, Yusuke, thank you."

"So what do you want? I haven't seen you since grandma's funeral."

Genkai, Yusuke's former teacher, had passed away eight months after Yusuke's return to the Human World, leaving Yusuke and his friends everything she owned, including a large chunk of land. Like they had promised her, they kept it all the same and allowed a few demons to live there. It was her wishes to try and bridge the gap between the Human and the Demon World…however long that would take.

"It's about the upcoming tournament," Koenma said, take a pair of chopsticks and blowing on his ramen.

"What about it?"

"Are you planning on participating?"

Yusuke blinked. "I…I hadn't really thought about it. I told Chu and the rest of those guys I'd be back, but I haven't exactly had time to go about and train these last few years."

"I see," Koenma began carefully eating his ramen, his gaze never leaving Yusuke's for more than a few seconds. "These are good."

"Glad you like them. So why the sudden interest? Does Spirit World have a problem with me becoming the new king of Demon World?" Yusuke let a cocky grin grow across his face, "Cause if so I may have to do it on principal."

Koenma looked at Yusuke with surprisingly serious eyes, "Yusuke it is in your best interest _not_ to try and go to Demon World right now."

"Why's that?"

"The Ka-kai Barrier has been put back in place."

"What?"

The Ka-kai Barrier had been undone at the end of the first Demon World Tournament, under the orders of Enkii that demons would no longer cause mischief of any kind in Human World.

"But why?" asked Yusuke, his hands slamming down on the counter, "There haven't been any attacks on Human World this whole time, minus a couple few mishaps here and there, but that's to be expected! No one got hurt!"

"I didn't realize you were so adamant on the idea, Yusuke," stated Koenma, keeping himself reserved. "Of the HDCP."

The Human-Demon Coexistence Project, or HDCP, came into existence shortly after Yusuke returned to the Human World. Started by Enkii and Lord Yama, king of the Spirit World, it seemed to be doing just fine. Government leaders of the Human World were all told about the existence of the Demon World to try and make peace between them. Many plants and minerals from the Demon World would be very useful for mankind, as well as other resources. As long as everyone cooperated, it seemed like a good idea, but Yusuke had always been skeptical.

"I'm not, but this was Genkai's dream, Koenma. That's all I'm standing for. I could care less whether or not humans and demons coexist in perfect harmony, or whatever." Yusuke turned away and began idly washing some kitchen supplies.

Koenma finished his ramen before speaking again. "Are you going to ask 'why', Yusuke?"

"I figured you wanted to hold out the dramatic suspense."

"The reason," said Koenma, ignoring Yusuke's sarcasm, "is because of a psychic named Rito."

Yusuke looked back over at him, suddenly interested. "A psychic? Like Sensui's old crew?"

"No, Yusuke. Rito is the actual definition of the word. He can predict the future."

Yusuke couldn't help but laugh, "You're saying the Ka-kai barrier was rebuilt because of what some crackpot said? That's about the biggest load of crap I've ever heard, Koenma."

Koenma continued to look serious. "Rito is no crackpot, Yusuke. He is a Spirit Mage, one of only three still in existence. He has aided my father many times in the past few millennia, and each of his predictions has been correct."

"Well yay for Rito, but what kind of prediction did he make that forced you guys to do something stupid like this?"

"Yusuke…I never said that it was Spirit World who rebuilt the barrier."

"Excuse me?"

"The barrier was set back up by King Enkii, not my father."

Yusuke dropped the pan he was washing and stared, mouth open, at Koenma. "What did you say?"

"King Enkii rebuilt the barrier, not us."

"Why?" roared Yusuke, slamming his hands back down on the counter. "Why would Enkii do something so stupid? I thought he would have more sense than that!"

Koenma remained calm, something that was starting to rub Yusuke the wrong way. "Yusuke, Rito's abilities are known throughout ever corner of Spirit and Demon World, and he doesn't work specifically for us. He is a free agent, who tells the party that needs the information the most about what is going to pass. I came here to warn you."

"Warn me about what?" asked Yusuke, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek.

"To be on your guard."

Yusuke unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside, throwing his green sports jacket on the couch. Just like the apartment, his furniture wasn't exactly high class. A few miscellaneous things he had found at thrift shops and other cheap departments. His bed from his mom's place was crammed in a corner under the one window. A hot-plate rested on the floor next to it.

He walked over to his bed and let gravity take over as he fell onto it, then stared at the ceiling.

"What do I do now?" Yusuke asked the rotting ceiling panels.

Koenma had told him he would keep Yusuke informed about the situation with Demon World. Enkii had apparently been scarce on the information Kito had given him. "Break the bridge between Demon and Human World, or both worlds will be brought to destruction." Those were the words that he had told Enkii, and that was what Enkii had in turn told King Yama.

Yusuke had tried to get a hold of both Kurama, but he was told that he was out of the country in order to close some kind of deal for his company. He thought about calling Kuwabara, but knew that his friend's school finals were coming up and didn't want to bother him.

"Jeez, I must be getting soft. I don't want to worry my friend about the fate of the world because of school. Give me a break…"

Yusuke closed his eyes and, even with the worries of the last week weighing heavy on him, fell asleep.

He was falling. Falling through the shadows that engulfed his body and mind. He wanted to yell out, but found he couldn't find the energy to open his mouth. After an eternity, he landed forcefully on the stone floor of a familiar room.

Yusuke looked up to see Raizen, his ancestral father, sitting in his stone throne. He looked exactly like he had the first time they met, with the exact same cocky smile Yusuke had.

"Yo. What's up, son?" Raizen asked, shifting his body forward to get a better look at Yusuke.

"You tell me," said Yusuke, finally able to open his mouth. "What is this? A dream?"

"Something like that."

"Don't play games with me, old man, or I'll—"

"You'll what?" interrupted Raizen, who was suddenly towering over Yusuke. "Kick my ass? Don't make me laugh."

Yusuke glared and clenched his fists, "I've become a lot stronger since we last went at it!"

"Yes, and working at a ramen shop is the pinnacle of your training. Nice."

"What do you want?" asked Yusuke, annoyed. What could he say to that?

"I came to warn you son."  
"Yeah. You're the second person to warn me this week, and so far all these warnings haven't helped me at all. What the hell am I supposed to be so scared of?" Yusuke was agitated at this point. Not because his father was before him, but because he didn't know what to do anymore.

"Yusuke, can't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The power that is awakening in your world. A power that should not be."

"What power? Stop beating around the damn bush, Raizen! Tell me what is coming!"

Raizen's face became solemn. "Yusuke…search your soul. In your veins runs the Ma-zoku blood. Unleash that power once again, and then you will know what is about to befall your world. I promise."

Raizen and the rest of the stone room began to disappear back into the darkness which Yusuke came through.

"Wait! Dad, hold on! What does that mean?"

But Raizen was gone, and Yusuke felt himself being lifted upward…

"Dammit!" Yusuke cried as he shot up in his bed, drenched in a pool of sweat. He rubbed his face and walked into his bathroom, the only other room in his apartment. He turned on the sink faucet and splashed his face with water and looked at himself.

In three and a half years, he hadn't changed much. He kept himself clean shaven, and his black hair was just a little bit too long for his usual liking. He sighed and walked back into the other room and looked around the apartment, only to find a piece of paper under the door.

"What the-?" he walked over and unfolded it and read the scribbled words.

_'Come to Genkai's temple.'_

Yusuke recognized the trace amounts of demonic energy coming from the letter.

"Hiei."

Not knowing what else to do, Yusuke threw on his jacket and ran out of the apartment. He didn't even hear his phone ring as he slammed the door shut.


	2. Flames and Spirit

**Chapter Two**

Flames and Spirit

It took Yusuke an hour to drive from his rundown apartment to the beautiful forest that surrounded Genkai's temple. It was the middle of the night and a cool breeze was in the air as Yusuke stepped out of his vehicle and began walking the familiar path towards his old training grounds.

Memories both good and bad flooded Yusuke's mind as he walked, hands buried in his coat pockets. His fight with Rando, the two sessions of training with Genkai, his leaving and return from Demon World, and finally the funeral for his beloved teacher…

Eight months after Yusuke's return to the Human World, Genkai had passed on to Spirit World. At first, Yusuke thought that only his old crew would be there: Keiko, Kuwabara and his sister, Yukina, Kurama, Boton, and Koenma, but to his surprise Chu, Jin and the rest of his friends from the Dark Tournament had showed up. Even Hiei had been there, although he never actually made his appearance known.

Following Genkai's wishes, they all tried their best not to show remorse for the old woman's death, but that proved to be harder than anticipated. Still, after her eulogy (given by Yusuke himself) they threw a large party. Everyone, except Hiei, partook. The only one who could even stand afterwards was Chu, but that wasn't exactly fair to the rest of them…

Yusuke finally made it to the long stairway that lead up to Genkai's old home and started running. The strong spiritual energy of this place made him feel right at home, even with his demonic blood coursing heavily through his veins.

It took a couple minutes, but Yusuke made it to the top where he was a little surprised to be greeted by Yukina, Hiei's sister. She had been living with Genkai until the very end and, not having anywhere else to go, she continued living here, taking care of the grounds.

"Hello, Yusuke," Yukina said with her usual smile.

"Hey Yukina. I'm surprised you're still up," said Yusuke, slipping his hands back in his pockets.

"I've been up all night. I couldn't sleep very well," she admitted, "and then Hiei came by."

"Yeah," said Yusuke, rubbing the back of his neck, "where is he?"

Yusuke always felt a little nervous talking about Hiei in front of Yukina. As far as he knew, she still didn't know that they were brother and sister. In fact, only she and Kuwabara were still ignorant of that fact. Hiei wanted it that way, so Yusuke respected his wishes…with a couple of minor jabs at Hiei's expense, of course.

"He's waiting for you in the temple. You know the way, yes?"

Yusuke nodded with a smirk. "I've been there once or twice."

"Of course," said Yukina with a smile. "Shall I bring you two some tea?"

"No thanks. Why don't you get back inside? It's cold out…err, never mind."

The ice maiden laughed, "I will. Try not to kill each other," and Yukina walked back to the main building, leaving Yusuke alone. He smiled and lit up another cigarette, something he did by habit when near Genkai's grave, and walked the couple hundred yards to the temple.

The door was open and Yusuke could see a light coming from within. He tossed off his shoes as he walked inside.

The black haired demon was sitting in his usual black robes in front of the candle Yusuke assumed he had lit. His white bandana was strapped around his forehead, covering the Jagan Eye that had been implanted there.

"Hey there, Hiei. Always nice to get a visit from my favorite three-eyed demon," said Yusuke, grabbing one of Genkai's old ashtrays and butting out his cigarette while walking over to Hiei.

"Hmph," replied Hiei, concentrating on Yusuke. His red eyes never left his, which sent a chill down Yusuke's spine.

"What's your problem?" asked Yusuke, feeling a tinge of annoyance.

"I'll assume you know that the Ka-kai Barrier has been put back into place by Enkii," said Hiei bluntly.

Yusuke frowned and nodded, "Yeah, I did. Koenma told me. So how're you here, Hiei? If that barrier is anything like the old one, I know you're too powerful to fit through it."

The old Ka-kai Barrier would only allow demons of B-Class and under to slip through. Hiei was far beyond that, even before it was originally taken down.

"I have special permission from Enkii and the other councilmen."

"I take it one of those councilmen is Mukuro, am I right?" Yusuke asked with a sheepish grin, causing Hiei to glare.

Mukuro and Hiei, last Yusuke had checked, were a couple. A very strange, very unique couple, but still…a couple.

"This has nothing to do with _her_, detective," replied Hiei harshly, standing up. Yusuke spotted his trademark katana strapped to his side.

"Okay, okay," said Yusuke, throwing up his hands in defense. The smile was still on his lips, "Didn't mean to offend."

"Your world is in danger, detective. I've come to warn you."

Yusuke felt his fists clench. Another warning. "I swear to God, Hiei, if that's all you're going to say I'm going to kick your ass."

Hiei continued to look at Yusuke, no fear in the demon's eyes, "Is that so?"

Yusuke grit his teeth. "Yeah…it is."

Hiei smirked, "Then prove it, _Ex-_detective Yusuke Urameshi."

Red demonic energy began to appear around Hiei's body, causing Yusuke to take a step back. The energy manifested quickly, and soon the entire temple was soaked in its aura.

"This will be the third time we've fought," said Hiei, still smiling, "Last time I called it a draw. Let's see how you fair this time."

"Hold on a second, Hiei!" Yusuke shouted, but Hiei had already made his move; a swift, powerful jab to Yusuke's stomach. The blow caused Yusuke's body to go soaring out of the temple and onto the grassy area in front. He quickly got up and unleashed his own blue, spiritual energy. Hiei had appeared at the entrance of the temple. He had thrown off his robes, revealing his tightly bandaged right arm.

"If that attack was enough to catch you off guard, you will be no match for the coming battle," said Hiei, holding his ground.

"I…" but Yusuke had nothing to say. Hiei was right. He hadn't fought once since his battles in the Demon World Tournament, let alone train.

"Is this the power that defeated Toguro and Sensui?" asked Hiei, walking slowly down the stairs of the temple. "Is _this_ the power that caused a revolution in Demon World?"

"Shut up!" roared Yusuke and exploded with spiritual energy. "I don't want to hear it!"

Yusuke dashed towards Hiei and threw a right punch, but the demon merely held up his left hand and caught the fist. Glaring, Yusuke swung his body around and delivered a powerful kick into the side of Hiei's head, forcing the demon to fly into the air. He was only stunned for a moment before collecting himself and landing on the roof of the temple.

"Pathetic," commented Hiei.

Yusuke jumped twenty feet into the air and started throwing punch after punch at Hiei, who was blocking all of them with relative ease.

"This obviously isn't working, Yusuke," said Hiei nonchalantly as he blocked Yusuke's fiftieth punch. "Why not whip out that pea-shooter of yours? Or do you not remember how to use it?"

"Don't tell me how to kick someone's ass, Hiei!" yelled Yusuke, jumping back to the opposite end of the temple's roof. "I have plenty of experience doing that!"

Yusuke held up his right hand and extended his index finger. A warm glow started resonating from it, and soon enough a ball of glowing blue energy appeared at the tip.

"I _will_ do it, Hiei!" warned Yusuke, taking aim.

"Try me," replied Hiei, a red flame appearing around his left arm.

"Spirit Gun!"

The spiritual bullet blasted out of Yusuke's finger and shot straight at Hiei. The three-eyed demon quickly raised his flaming hand and pressed against the bullet. The strong spiritual power began pushing Hiei back, but he was holding his own.

"You _have_ become weak!" yelled Hiei over the roar of the blast. "I doubt this attack would be enough to take out even Toguro!"

"Then try this on for size!"

Hiei looked up to find Yusuke falling above him. He had jumped up right after unleashing the attack, while Hiei was distracted with blocking. His left hand was gripping his right wrist, and his index finger was still pointing out, another blue orb blazing around his hand.

"Spirit Gun!"

The blast engulfed Hiei and Yusuke's first attack, causing Hiei to fall into the collapsing temple's roof. Yusuke landed on what was left of the rooftop, but even where he landed was unstable, and quickly fell into the dark temple.

Debris filled the air and caused Yusuke to cough a few times. Moonlight was started to seep in, and Yusuke looked to where Hiei had fallen. At first, Yusuke couldn't see past the fallen rubble, but then he felt a familiar presence coming from the other side of the temple.

A black flame was starting to grow, and after a few seconds, Hiei had emerged with the Dragon of the Darkness Flame beginning to whip around his now naked right arm, Hiei's most deadly attack. The bandages were flying away from him.

"It ends now," said Hiei in a low voice, walking over the fallen roof and towards Yusuke, who was stepping back.

"Dammit, Hiei…" mumbled Yusuke. He had two shots of his Spirit Gun left. He could feel it. In his battle against Yomi, one of the three old kings of Demon World, Yusuke had shot off countless shots to try and take him down, but that was then and this was now. He had also had his demonic energy back then, but he hadn't awoken that since that day.

"While you've been sitting on your ass these last few years, I've been training;" said Hiei, still walking towards Yusuke, "training with Mukuro to further hone my skills. You should have remained in Demon World, Yusuke. You're wasting away here, living life like a normal human."

"I _like_ it here," said Yusuke, trying to remain calm. He couldn't read Hiei at all. His eyes were bloodthirsty. It looked as though he really wanted to kill Yusuke, and with the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, that possibility seemed all too real.

"Whether you like it here or not, I don't really care. Your happiness is of no concern of mine…or the coming threat."

"What _threat_, Hiei?" yelled Yusuke, swinging his arm. "Koenma told me to be on my guard, and then I get this crazy dream from Raizen who also warned me! I'm tired of being warned! I want to know _what_ is coming and _how_ do I stop it?"

Hiei had stopped at the mentioning of Raizen, "What else did Raizen tell you?"

Yusuke frowned, "It was just a stupid dream, Hiei. Nothing more."

"It's obviously more if you mentioned it to me right before I kill you," replied Hiei, his tone way-too-serious for comfort. "Now what did he say?"

A bead of sweat trickled down Yusuke's forehead, "He said to awaken my Ma-zaku blood…and then I'd know what I needed to do."

"Is that all?" asked Hiei, staring.

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Yes!"

"Fine. Give Genkai my regards."

And Hiei thrust his right arm towards Yusuke, unleashing the Dragon of the Darkness Flame at him. Yusuke could barely even throw up his arms and unleash every last ounce of spiritual energy he had to try and defend the attack, but the fiery of the dragon was far more than Yusuke had ever imagined, and he felt himself begin to lose consciousness…


	3. Bond of the MaZaku

**Chapter Three**

Bond of the Ma-zaku

Yusuke opened his eyes to find he was no longer in Genkai's temple, but in a place that looked awfully like the Demon World.

"What the hell?"

He started to walk forward, but felt his body constrict together, forcing him to fall to his knees. He grit his teeth and tried to get loose, but the harder he struggled the harder it was for him to breathe.

_At least I _can_ breathe. Must mean I'm not dead._

Suddenly, a figure started moving towards Yusuke. It looked like a man: a demon man. His long white hair blew through the foul smelling breeze of the Demon World, as well did his light green bandana. His fingernails were razor sharp claws, and his bare upper body was rippling with muscles and tattoos that looked strangely familiar to Yusuke…but it wasn't those that told him who this man was.

It was those eyes.

Raizen.

Not the Raizen that he had once known. That Raizen was barely a fraction of his former self. This was the Raizen of legends; the one that became one of the three kings of Demon World.

"Why?" Raizen asked, looking at Yusuke, but also past him. Yusuke tried to move his body around to see, but found it was nearly impossible.

"Why, you ask?" replied a voice from behind Yusuke. It was a voice that sent chills down the young man's spine. "Why do _you_ continue to live as you are? You could be so much more, Raizen!"

Raizen glared at his enemy. "You're wrong. This isn't the way to gain power, Shenzen!" He parted his claws, as if ready to attack the one called Shenzen.

Yusuke felt his body tighten for a moment, then release. He could move again! He instantly rolled onto his feet and leapt a few yards back to get a good look at Shenzen, and it caused Yusuke to almost fall back down.

Shenzen could have been Raizen's twin. He had the same eyes, same build…even the same tattoos. The only thing different about him was his hair, which was jet black instead of white and a lot shorter. A red bandana was wrapped around his head, and a black cloak whipped in the wind behind him.

"And what's wrong with exploiting the fact that Yakumo is no longer in existence?" asked Shenzen, and the name he mentioned caused Yusuke's eyes to widen with surprise.

Yakumo was the lord of the Netherworld, a forth world that was apparently like a Hell for demons that was sealed off by King Yama ages ago. Yusuke had faced off against him right after the Dark Tournament, using Yakumo's Power Sphere to blast the demon into oblivion.

_But what does he have to do with Raizen and this Shenzen guy?_

"We are the Ma-zaku, Shenzen!" Raizen exclaimed, taking a step forward. "Think of the pride of our bloodline!"

"I think only of the future," said Shenzen. "And it appears as though you will not be a part of mine."

Both Raizen and Shenzen charged one another at lightning-like speed, but Yusuke did not get to watch the fight unfold. His vision blurred, and when he could focus again, he was no longer in the Demon World, but that of the Human World.

He was standing in the middle of a blizzard, somewhere high in the mountains. He could feel the cold nipping at his face and it was getting hard to breathe at such a high altitude.

Through the flurry of snow, Yusuke could make out the same two figures of Raizen and Shenzen, both badly injured and breathing even harder than Yusuke.

"You…won't defeat me…Raizen…" stuttered Shenzen, by far the worse off of the two. Yusuke felt a ping of pride that his ancestral father was so powerful.

"I already have, Shenzen," said Raizen. Yusuke squinted, and saw that Raizen had a look of sadness in his eyes.

_Are they more than blood-kin?_

Raizen bolted forward and grabbed Shenzen with relative ease. He then bolted up into the air over a hundred feet, and then slammed Shenzen into the icy ground below, drilling him through it. Yusuke ran to the spot to see Raizen standing on top of Shenzen, his demonic energy so powerful that Yusuke felt as though he may have to back off.

"I won't kill you, Shenzen. You'll be forced to live in this ice prison for eternity," said Raizen, with a voice as cold as the surrounding weather.

He jumped out of the snow hole (Yusuke instinctively jumped far back) and let out a terrible roar. The snow and ice began to crumble around, collapsing inside and burying Shenzen alive.

Looking a little out of breath, Raizen placed his hand on the freshly laid snow and a red aura surrounded his body, until finally a red stone tablet appeared under his hand. A shining black seal was formed with a demonic word written on it. Yusuke had learned a bit of the demonic language, and this word was one of the first he had learned:

Ma-zaku.

"I wish it didn't have to come to see, brother."

The icy tundra disappeared, and Yusuke was once again inside the stone room, with his ancestral father sitting on his stone throne.

"Now you know, Yusuke," said Raizen, sounding and looking like he had when they first met.

"Shenzen was your brother," said Yusuke quietly, feeling his father's remorse running through his heart. "Why did you have to seal him?"

"Shenzen was power hungry, and had absorbed much of Yakumo's Power Sphere. I believe you encountered Yakumo a few years ago."

"Yeah, and he was no cake walk back then, but I was only fresh out of the Dark Tournament when he attacked. I could handle him now without much problem," said Yusuke with a small smile.

Raizen laughed. "I wish that were the case, my son. Unfortunately, Yakumo was no Shenzen. If he had absorbed all of the Power Sphere, I'm afraid it would be me in that ice prison, not him."

"But he didn't!" retorted Yusuke. "You beat him and sealed him away, right? So what's the problem?"

"Yusuke, have you not realized it yet?" asked Raizen, his voice growing a little irritated. "That was over three thousand years ago. That place was in the Human World; a mountain called Everest. You've heard of it, correct?"

"Who hasn't?"

"Humans have caused much damage to their world, Yusuke. It has caused a lot of the snow to melt, and make it easier for someone to find Shenzen's tomb."

"You're saying…" but Yusuke couldn't finish his sentence. Raizen did for him,

"Shenzen's prison has been found, Yusuke. The seal was there to alert me if this happened, but I am no longer a part of this world…but you are."

Yusuke's eyes drifted the floor. "Raizen, I…don't know if I'm strong enough," he admitted in defeat. His fight with Hiei was more than enough proof of that. The two used to be on par with one another, but now…

Raizen seemed to catch on to this and smirked, "You're my son, Yusuke. You've inherited the power of the Ma-zaku. Your friend seems to have caught on to how a Ma-zaku's power works," his smile grew. "You just needed a good kick in the ass to jump start it."

Yusuke couldn't help but laugh, "Hiei always seems to be there when I need that, that's for sure."

"You'll need to keep your friends close," said Raizen, serious once again. "Ask the Spirit Fox about how to strengthen the seal on Shenzen's prison. With your Ma-zaku blood, you should be able to do it. I'd rather see that happen then force you into combat against him."

"Don't think we can take him?" Yusuke asked, trying to sound confident.

Raizen looked at Yusuke, sorrow in his eyes, "I'd rather not see my family forced to fight one another once again."

And Raizen, like before, disappeared into the darkness…

Yusuke sat up slowly from the cold floor of Genkai's temple. His shirt and jacket were gone from the powerful blast of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, but his body seemed fine. It only took Yusuke a couple seconds to see the markings of the Ma-zaku had appeared on his body.

"That happened the moment I unleashed my attack."

Yusuke turned to see Hiei sitting on top of the rubble of the collapsed rooftop.

"Is that so?" asked Yusuke, standing up. His body felt off balance, as if he had acquired a new limb or something.

"What did Raizen tell you this time?" asked Hiei, talking as calmly as he had been right before he blasted Yusuke.

"That his brother, Shenzen, is awakening. We have to stop that from happening, or we're all screwed. We need to find Kurama."

"I see. Then I suppose we should get going," Hiei threw on his black robes and walked past Yusuke and out into the moonlit pathway.

"Hold on a second, Hiei!" called Yusuke, running over to him, "How did you know how to awaken the Ma-zaku blood inside me?"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Mukuro told me…and she had been informed by the spirit mage Rito."

"Huh…" said Yusuke, and then smirked, "So you're a follower of that nutcase as well, huh?"

Hiei let out a chilling laugh, "Hardly. I don't believe in psychics."

"Wait…so why the hell did you attack me?"

"You were being annoying."

"And the Darkness Flame?"

To that Hiei merely shrugged, "We should get going. Kurama is in London right now. Pack your things and meet me there. I'll make sure to leave a trail easy enough for you to follow."

And in a flash, Hiei had disappeared into the night, leaving Yusuke to stare with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Note to self…don't ever act like a whiney bitch in front of Hiei ever again…"

Yusuke got home a little after 2 AM, exhausted and just wanting sleep. The end of the world could wait for him to at least get a few hours of shut-eye, right?

He was running by a few things in his head while he drove home. He'd have to borrow money from his mom for a ticket to London, but that would be easy enough. He'd just tell her it was to go see Keiko or something. After that, he'd make some calls to find out exactly where Kurama was at. He knew Hiei would leave him some kind of trail, like he said, but being at the three-eyed demon's will was not something he felt like doing.

He flopped down on his bed and looked at his tattooed arm.

_If it's anything like last time, they'll just fade away…I'd rather not explain why I decided to get a full body tattoo over night. At least I didn't grow four feet of hair this time…_

Yusuke rolled over on his side and looked at his phone and answering machine. A number 1 was blinking red. He raised a brow, wondering who would have called him at this time of night. He reached his hand over and pressed the Play button and closed his eyes.

_"Hi, Yusuke! I figured you'd be home by now." _It was Keiko. _"I hope you're not getting into trouble."_ More like the world was getting into trouble, but whatever. _"It's almost one in the afternoon here, and I'm getting packed to fly over to Nepal for an archeological dig in the mountains! It's really exciting, Yusuke! It's something that hasn't ever been seen before! Anyway, I gotta go I'll call you when I get in." _There was a pause, and then, _"I love you." _Click.

"Oh, Keiko…if only you knew what was happening…" said Yusuke, far to tired to think, and quickly fell asleep.

Yusuke, who knew next to nothing about geography, had no idea where Keiko was actually going to…and the consequences her and her team may bring…


	4. Rumble in London

*Quick Author Note*

Sorry about how long this one took to get out. Had mid-terms all week. Enjoy, none the less!

**Chapter Four**

Rumble in London

It didn't take Yusuke much time to pack his things and get a flight out to London. He, regrettably, had to borrow money from his mother, but desperate times called for desperate measures as they say, and the fate of the world seemed like a desperate enough time.

He was dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans and his green jacket. He didn't usually wear long sleeved shirts, but today seemed like a good time to do so.

The mark of the Ma-zaku, the blue tattoos, had not disappeared over night.

The first time they had appeared, during the final leg of his fight with Sensui, they had vanished the next morning. Part of him felt concerned over this, but deep within he knew that they would not disappear until Shenzen's seal had been redone. Raizen's blood demanded it.

The fight was long and boring, but finally Yusuke landed in London, England. It was about four in the afternoon, which confused the hell out of Yusuke at first, considering he left about the same time from Tokyo.

_Stupid time change._

Feeling a little jet-lagged, Yusuke walked out of the airport with a coffee in hand and took a sip, then pulled out a piece of paper with an address on it that his Kurama's mother had given him.

"This is where Kurama is staying…shouldn't be too hard to find."

London, as it turned out, was a lot harder to navigate through then Yusuke had originally anticipated. At least he knew some English, having been forced to learn it in back in school.

_Never thought I'd actually need it._

So after only a few minor set backs, Yusuke finally made it to the Hilton Hotel of London and stepped inside.

It was rather fancy, and Yusuke felt a bit out of place with only street clothes on and a duffle bag strapped over his shoulder. He walked to the front desk and smiled politely to the woman sitting there.

"Hello," Yusuke said in English, "I am looking for Suichi Minamoto's room."

"Are you a friend of his?" she asked with a plastic smile.

Yusuke nodded. "Yusuke Urameshi."

The woman nodded and picked up the phone, punched in a couple numbers, and waited a moment.

"Sir? A Mr. Yusuke Urameshi is here to see you." Yusuke couldn't help but flinch as the woman butchered his name, pronouncing it "Yuwa-meshy".

The woman then hung up the phone and smiled. "Room 801."

"Thank you."

He then readjusted his bag and walked towards the elevator, hit the number 8, and walked in.

The elevator went up and stopped on the second floor, where two bald men dressed in suits and wearing a pair of black sunglasses stepped inside. Yusuke blinked as they did and watched as they each took a spot right next to him.

A smile appeared on his lips, "Afternoon, gentlemen." He spoke in his native language.

Neither of them spoke, and Yusuke couldn't tell whether or not they were looking at him.

"Awfully nice here, eh? Here for sightseeing? Or business?"

No response.

"It must be pretty tough, being stuck here…seeing as Demon World is currently closed off."

The two moved fast. The one on Yusuke's lefts arm had suddenly turned into a spike and tried to swipe at Yusuke, but he was much to fast for that. He leapt into the air and did a split kick in mid-air, nailing both of them in the side of the head. They both fell down unconscious on the floor of the elevator, just as he reached the eighth floor, where Kurama was waiting for him.

He was dressed nice, in a red suit that was slightly darker then his now short red hair. Green eyes darted from Yusuke, to the bodies, and back to Yusuke.

"You didn't have to bring me anything, Yusuke," said Kurama, smiling softly.

"Well I figured it'd be rude if I didn't."

"I suppose we should take them into my room before we raise suspicion."

They each grabbed one and Kurama quickly lead Yusuke into his room…or should he say suite. Yusuke let out a long whistle.

The suite had a built in bar and kitchen, along with a large flat screen television in the living room, and a couple doors here and there that Yusuke figured lead to bathrooms, bedrooms, or super huge closets.

"Damn, Kurama. You sure don't mess around," said Yusuke after he shifted the first demon so that he was back to back with the second on the floor.

"The company treats me well, yes," Kurama answered humbly. Out of the inner pocket of his suit he withdrew a long, folded up blade of grass.

"What happened to the rose?" asked Yusuke.

"Grass is much easier to hide, and more easily kept."

With a slight flex of his demonic energy, the blade of grass grew extraordinarily long and wrapped itself tightly around the two bodies.

"Bet that trick is fun in bed," Yusuke said with a sly grin, which Kurama just rolled his eyes too.

"Try to keep your mind out of both the gutter and my private life, Yusuke."

"Any idea who these guys are, Kurama?" asked Yusuke, walking over to the bar and taking a seat on one of the stools. Kurama followed, confident that if the two demons awoke, they wouldn't be going anywhere fast.

"I'm hoping to find that out," Kurama answered, taking out two glasses and setting them on the bar. "You like brandy, correct?"

"Be rude to say no."

Kurama smiled. "I thought you'd say that," he said as placed a couple cubes of ice in the glasses, then filled them with alcohol that was already on the bar.

"Have a lot of visitors lately?" asked Yusuke, noting that the bottle of brandy was nearly gone after Kurama poured the drinks.

"It seems businessmen like to drink just as much here as in Japan," said Kurama, pushing Yusuke his glass and picking up his own. "Good for business, too. Cheers." The two gently clank glasses, and took a drink.

"Glad to know you've got your business wits about you," smiled Yusuke.

"I've been alive a long time. You learn a few things. Now," Kurama sat down his glass after another sip, "it's not that I don't appreciate the visit," he smiled, "but if you were going to spend money on a plane ticket to London, you would have come to see Keiko, not me. So what's going on?"

"Cunning as always, fox," said Yusuke, rolling the ice a bit in his glass. "I take it Hiei hasn't been here?" A warm, fuzzy feeling in Yusuke's gut filled him with satisfaction that he had beaten the three-eyed demon to the punch.

"Not in person, but I did sense his demonic energy about the city. It came up to the hotel, and then took off again. I might be worried, but that's Hiei for you. He was here about thirty minutes before you showed up."

The warm, fuzzy feeling drained and was filled with slight annoyance that Hiei had left _him_ to explain everything.

"That figures," grumbled Yusuke, taking a larger gulp of his brandy.

"So what is it?" asked Kurama, a brow raised.

It took Yusuke about ten minutes to explain everything that had gone on the last week. Kurama remained silent as he listened, giving a thoughtful nod on occasion.

"…and now I'm here," finished Yusuke, taking the last slightly-watered down drink of his second glass of brandy.

"Hmm," Kurama touched his finger to his chin, thinking. His eyes were closed. "Well, I thought that I felt a strange disconnection from the Demon World, so that makes sense. What I find hard to believe is that Enkii left us high and dry."

"He sent Hiei," suggested Yusuke.

"I doubt that," Kurama said, opening his eyes. "He'd never admit it, but Hiei was probably concerned about our safety. He probably used illegal means to enter Human World…although I'm sure Mukuro pointed him in the right direction." He added this last part with a smile.

"So, Kurama, will you be able to help revamp this seal my old man set up?" asked Yusuke, putting his hands behind his head.

Kurama nodded, "I believe so. I've never dealt with a Ma-Zaku seal before, but from studying both you and Raizen while working with Yomi, I do know that your kind is mostly about brute force then finesse…no offense!" Yusuke had started to give Kurama a dirty look.

"Uh huh," said Yusuke dryly, standing up and looking at the two demons were still unconscious. "Damn, man, I didn't hit them _that_ hard. Think they're dead?"

Just as Yusuke spoke, he knew he shouldn't have. A red glow appeared around the two demons, causing Yusuke and Kurama to instinctively jump back.

"I believe that's called Murphy's Law," mumbled Kurama, grabbing a long red rose from a vase on the dining room table.

Yusuke frowned. "Well, screw Murphy and screw these guys!"

The two demon's eyes opened simultaneously, glowing red, something Yusuke was sure he would have noticed even with the sunglasses on. The red energy started to grow wider.

"Yusuke, we can't fight in here!" said Kurama. The rose quickly transformed into his trademark Rose Whip.

"What? Worried about your hotel bill?" asked Yusuke, raising his fists. "But you're right: way too many humans around."

"I have an idea," Kurama said, then smiled, "although it _will_ cost me some extra cash."

At this point the two demons were on their feet, the glow of demonic energy getting ever stronger. Quite suddenly, their bodies began to merge with one another, twisting and shaping in the form of a black mold. The grass rope Kurama had made seemed to mold with them.

"Gross," grumbled Yusuke.

Kurama twirled his razor-sharp whip and struck the ceiling, sending bits of panel and debris falling to the floor. He struck again, and outside light began to shine through.

"Let's go topside," Kurama said calmly and jumped up through the hole. Yusuke followed in suit.

Dark clouds had rolled in since Yusuke first arrived at the hotel, and he could smell a storm approaching. He stood beside Kurama, who tossed off his suit jacket onto the roof. Yusuke had left his in the room.

"Yusuke, can you sense that energy?" asked Kurama, watching the hole carefully. It seemed as though the two demons transformation hadn't completed yet.

"Yeah it's big, but we're both easily stronger."

"No, not the size: the _scent."_

"The scent?"

"Concentrate. You'll understand."

Yusuke frowned but nodded, closing his eyes to try and get a better grip on the demonic energy below them. It then hit him like a ton of bricks.

This was the demonic energy of a Ma-Zaku.

"But that can't be!" Yusuke exclaimed, eyes shooting open. "The only Ma-Zaku left are me and Shenzen, and I really doubt he's the type to go to a Hilton!"

"I believe you," said Kurama, almost wearily, "and I don't think that these two are actual full-bred Ma-Zaku."

"What're you saying? They're—" but Yusuke didn't have time to complete his statement. A beam of red demonic energy exploded from the hole, breaking it a part even more and causing the two friends to have to retreat a little farther back.

The red energy stopped, and from the hole came a dog-like beast that far doubled Yusuke in size. Black fur covered his body, and a he was snarling a lovely white set of huge deadly fangs. Along the black fur, Yusuke noticed that the two of them had something in common: the blue tattoo markings of the Ma-Zaku.

"Shit!" swore Yusuke. The demon beast had turned it's red eyes onto Yusuke and looked hungry.

"Get ready, Yusuke! It seems to be after you!" shouted Kurama, beginning his run toward the beast.

"Well aren't I the lucky one!" yelled Yusuke, jumping into the air just as the demon swung it's large clawed hand in Yusuke's direction. He swung his body around and kicked the side of the beasts head, causing it to stumble.

"Kurama!" Yusuke shouted, landing on the ground and rolling out of the way as Kurama swung his Rose Whip around to hit the demon. The beast tried to move out of the way, but Kurama's whip was fast and sliced through it's arm, leaving a bloody stump in its wake. It roared in pain and rage as blue blood gushed out.

"That'll show him!" said Yusuke with a grin, standing up.

"It's not over yet, Yusuke. Look!"

The demon, bleeding profusely, held up the rest of his arm. A concentration of demonic energy began to form around it, and from the stump appeared a long, flesh-colored blade.

"Are you serious?" shouted Yusuke, holding up his right hand, his index finger extended.

"Think wisely, Yusuke," warned Kurama. "We're on top of a building, and your Spirit Gun could level an entire building!"

"Shit! So what do we do?" asked Yusuke, his hand still up.

"Yusuke…Urameshi…"

Yusuke and Kurama both gasped. The voice came from the demon, but it's mouth hadn't moved.

"What the hell?" asked Yusuke, taking a step back.

"Lord…Shenzen…is waiting…"

"So you _do_ work for Shenzen!"

"He…is waiting…for you!"

The demon leapt at Yusuke and took a swipe at him, but Yusuke crouched down to avoid the slash and followed up with a powerful uppercut under the demon's dog-like snout.

"What does he want with me?" Yusuke roared, punching the beast once again across the face. It fell to the roof and Yusuke jumped on top of it, grabbing it by the throat.

"He…wants…your power…" the beast said once again without moving it's lips. Yusuke punched it again. The demon swung up his bladed arm, causing Yusuke to roll off of it, but the blade managed to scrape him across the arm, cutting the sleeve of his shirt. The cut revealed the Ma-Zaku tattoo.

"He…wants…your blood!"

"He can't have it!"

"Yusuke move!"

Yusuke looked over to see a swarm of rose buds flying in the wind towards him and the demon.

"Holy crap!"

Yusuke scrambled out of the way just as the buds began to enclose around the enemy demon. The swarmed around it with lightning speed, and began to cut through the demon's flesh. It roared in pain and tried to escape, but it couldn't flee the dancing rose petals.

"You…can't escape…the fate…of the Ma-Zaku!" The demon managed to say. After a few more seconds, it was ripped into shreds. The rose petals then floated off into the breeze, scattering across London.

Yusuke looked over at Kurama, who was walking over to what was left of the demon.

"Are you okay?" Kurama asked, glancing at the demon then at Yusuke.

"I'll be a lot better when we stop Shenzen…and make sure he can't create another one of these things," said Yusuke, putting his hands in his pockets.

"So you figured it out?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah. The energy was definitely Ma-Zaku, but the blood color is different. Ma-Zaku blood is red, not blue...at least Raizen and Shenzen's was." He was recalling the dream he had of their fight.

"You're correct. This beast's demonic blood was more like that of Byakuya, one of the Saint Beasts of Maze Tower," said Kurama, leaning down to get a better look at the body.

"That big cat Kuwabara fought?" Yusuke shrugged. "If you say so."

Kurama was about to touch the demon's "body" when, once again, demonic energy began to pour of it. Kurama's eyes widened as he moved away to where Yusuke stood.

"Are you serious?" asked Yusuke, preparing himself for a second round, but Kurama held up his arm.

"Wait a moment. This fight is over."

The demonic energy of the Ma-Zaku began flow out of the demon corpse and into the air. Once every ounce was out of the body, it blasted into the air and out of sight.

"That's new," mumbled Yusuke, staring into the dark clouds. Rain began to fall, slowly at first, but it only took about a minute for an entire downpour to begin.

"Let's head inside, eh Kurama?" Yusuke suggested, but Kurama just stood and stared at him. "What?"

"Yusuke…look at your arm."

"Huh?" Yusuke did so and his eyes widened. The mark of the Ma-Zaku was glowing. "That's…never happened before."

"What do you think it means?" asked Kurama, a look of concern in his usually cool eyes.

"I think it means Shenzen is about ready to wake up…which means we don't have a second to lose."


	5. Debriefings and Theories

**Chapter Five**

Debriefings and Theories

"You've got to be kidding me!" screamed Kuwabara, forcing Yusuke to hold the phone a foot away from his ear. "You're telling me your demon dad had a brother, and now he's waking up to destroy the whole darn planet?"

"That's about the gist of it, yeah," replied Yusuke, moving the phone back to his mouth.

Four hours after their skirmish with the imitation Ma-Zaku, Yusuke was sitting in Kurama's new room, nibbling at a croissant and drinking a cup of coffee, and currently talking on the phone to Kuwabara. It had been Kurama's idea. He had recommended bringing the entire team together, and that included Kuwabara. With his Jigan-To, the amped up Spirit Sword that could cut through dimensions, he'd be very helpful if a fight broke out.

"Urameshi, I've retired from playing Spirit Detective! I'm in college now and am studying hard to make something of myself! I don't want to go off and fight demons anymore!" Kuwabara continued. At least his voice had calmed down a bit.

"Okay, Kuwabara, I get it, but we could really use your help! That's all I'm saying!" said Yusuke, finishing off the last bit of his croissant. "If you'd rather study then save the world, be my friggin' guest!"

"That's not fair, Urameshi! I…gah!"

Yusuke could only imagine his friend pouting on the other end of the phone.

"Look, Kuwabara…are you finished with your finals yet?"

"Yes…I finished this morning, and had _hoped_ to enjoy some R and R."

"Okay, look: meet us in Tibet. We'll be at the Everest Lodge by noon their time. Kurama already said he'd cover the costs. If all goes according to plan, we'll only need to re-seal Shenzen's prison, and then we can all go home and get plastered. Think of it as a vacation."

"Yeah…a vacation that could end with all of us getting killed," scoffed Kuwabara.

Yusuke rolled his eyes, "Sure, if you want to make it sound negative. Now are you in or what?"

He heard Kuwabara sigh heavily on the other end, "Fine. Have Kurama wire me the ticket."

"Already taken care of," said Yusuke with a grin.

"Ah!...darnit, Urameshi…I'll see you tomorrow." Click.

"Well that was easy enough," said Yusuke aloud, placing the phone on the receiver and leaning back into the couch.

Kurama was out finishing up his business in London, and Hiei was still nowhere to be seen, so Yusuke was stuck in the hotel room for the rest of the day. He didn't want to risk going out and getting lost…plus he wanted to get his mind focused on the task at hand.

He really wished he could talk to Mukuro or someone from Demon World to maybe get a little more information on Shenzen. All Yusuke really knew about him was that his strength almost rivaled Raizen's three thousand years ago, and from what Enkii had told him about his father was that his strength was nothing compared to then and a few years ago.

"And I could barely keep up with him when he was at death's door," mumbled Yusuke, sitting up again to take a sip of his coffee. He finished it and then stood up and threw on his jacket, pulling out a cigarette as he did.

"Nothing to do now but sit wait for Kurama, I guess," said Yusuke, walking over to the balcony. He opened the glass door and stepped outside, lighting up and looking out at the river Styx.

Wait a second…

"What the…_hell?"_

"Down the hall, first door on your left."

Yusuke frowned as he recognized the voice behind him and turned around, revealing Koenma in his teenage, suckling on his pacifier.

"Have you finally grown up for real or were the ogres making fun of your pint-size form?" asked Yusuke, slightly annoyed at his sudden transportation to the land of the dead.

"If an ogre _was_ making fun of me, he wouldn't be around long enough to enjoy the laugh," smiled Koenma through the pacifier. Yusuke couldn't tell be his tone if he was joking or not…and his question hadn't been answered either.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Koenma, I'm still alive and kicking, so why am I here?" asked Yusuke, taking a drag of his cigarette. "I'm not exactly mister popular around here."

"Clearly you missed the new poll," said Koenma, waving a bit of Yusuke's cigarette smoke out of his face. "Thanks to this new crisis, you've become everyone here's number one hero."

"Come again?"

"Yusuke, I'm sure you understand the gravity of this situation…"

"…that if I don't stop Shenzen, everyone's screwed. Yes, I get it: I'm awesome," Yusuke turned around to look at the view of the river Styx again. "Now unless you're not going to give me any helpful hints, please point me to the door that takes me back to the living world."

"Well, I don't know if it's any hints on Shenzen, but it does have to do with those demons you and Kurama fought," said Koenma, and Yusuke turned around again. "I see I caught your attention. Follow me."

Yusuke nodded and put out the cig and followed quickly behind Koenma as he walked through the endless maze that was the Spirit World Palace. It looked all the same from when he had been brought here the day he died and started his trial to be brought back from the dead. Ogres were running about with files in their hands and spirits were drifting in and out, preparing themselves for their ultimate judgment.

Finally Koenma brought Yusuke into a room that looked a whole lot like the chemistry labs from movies, except instead of men in white lab coats; there were green ogres in lab coats. Yusuke looked around and spotted the corpse of the demon he and Kurama fought merely a few hours ago.

"How did-?"

Koenma smiled. "Kurama brought it to us before his business meeting. Our top researchers have been working like madmen to try and figure out what happened to this creature."

"And?" Yusuke asked, his voice filled with urgency.

"Take a look."

Koenma brought him over to the examination table and one of the ogres handed him a clipboard with some scribbled down notes.

He read aloud, "Subject A is male of the Neko race, and at the time of death had an A-Class ranking. His body and soul had been enhanced through the transaction of foreign demonic energy. It is noted that the demon energy was more than likely that of the Ma-Zaku."

Yusuke blinked, "So? This is all stuff I already knew, Koenma."

Koenma rolled his eyes, "I'm not finished." Yusuke shrugged and let him read on,

"Subject A was an atavism of the Ma-Zaku: a sleeper Ma-Zaku. It is suspected that this was not done through reproductive means, but by an outside party. The atavism was also, more likely than not, activated by the third party, as well." Koenma looked up from the clipboard, "That means that there is an unknown enemy in the wake, Yusuke; someone who wants Shenzen to be awoken and is doing everything in his or her power to stop you."

"Hold on, Koenma!" said Yusuke, grabbing the clipboard, scanning it, and then looking back up. "Right before this guy bit the bullet, he told me Shenzen was waiting for me and that he wanted my blood and energy. This thing," he waved the clipboard, "is saying that someone else gave him the Ma-Zaku energy. How does that work?"

"Shenzen may have had a partner three thousand years ago," suggested Koenma. "Right now we can only speculate and make predictions. I brought you here to inform you that there is someone else out there besides Shenzen who is trying to get you…and that person probably has more of these lying in wait." He pointed at the demon corpse.

Yusuke sighed but nodded, "Alright…at least it's a little better than a vague warning. Thanks, Koenma."

"Good luck, Yusuke."

...

Koenma sent Yusuke back to the living world and after a few more hours of sitting, smoking, and waiting, Kurama finally returned back to the hotel. Yusuke quickly revealed the new information.

"That's definitely not the best news, but it does leave a couple of things open for thought," said Kurama, taking a seat across from Yusuke.

"Like what you want to wear at your funeral?" asked Yusuke dryly.

Kurama chuckled, "No…more like if Shenzen truly has any part in all of this."

"What do you mean?"

"This is only a theory, but what if this third party is the true mastermind behind all of this? And they are using Shenzen merely as a pawn to cause fear…fear that would force Demon World to lock down it's gates and prevent any outside help."

"You're saying this whole scheme has been so that Demon World would shut itself off?" asked Yusuke.

"Like I said, it's just a theory. Whoever is behind this may have a vendetta against the Human or Spirit World. You see, it takes time for a Ka-kai Barrier to be taken down once set up: a week or so. A demon like Shenzen could easily obliterate all of Spirit World in that time. Unfortunately for them," Kurama smiled, "the Spirit World has us."

Yusuke smirked. "I'm not doing this for Spirit World…I'm doing it for _our_ world."

...

"You're late, Urameshi," said Kuwabara, his arms crossed over his chest. He had hardly changed at all since their Spirit Detective days, with the exception of a dark red beard he was now sporting.

"Sorry, our plane got delayed," said Yusuke with a light grin.

He and Kurama had gotten to the resort via taxi service and just stepped inside. It had been a long flight and both of them were jet lagged, but were ready to face the upcoming challenge. Kuwabara had been waiting for them in the nearly empty lobby.

"Glad to see you made here in good spirits, Kuwabara," said Kurama, following slightly behind Yusuke.

Kuwabara grinned, "Yeah, well, I'm just glad to see I won't have to beat Shenzen alone. I like sharing the credit with you guys once in awhile."

"Hmph. I'll be surprised if you make it up the mountain," remarked Hiei, who had just appeared behind Kuwabara, making him jump with a rather girlish scream.

"Gah! Dammit, half-pint! I didn't know you'd be here!" Kuwabara yelled, then glared at Yusuke and Kurama, who were chuckling at his squeal, "You two shut up!"

Yusuke put his hands behind his head and smiled, "Glad you could make it, Hiei."

Hiei smirked, "As if I'd leave this up to you three."

"What do we do now?" asked Kuwabara.

"I suggest we check into our rooms and rest for the day," suggested Kurama. "We'll begin our trek up the mountain in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan," said Yusuke and the four began the process of checking in and getting ready for the battle to come.


	6. Icy Doom

**Chapter Six**

Icy Doom

The four wasted no time once the sun had broken to begin their long and dangerous hike up Mount Everest. They bought the necessary gear, mostly to uphold a bit of normality towards the other climbers. Only Kuwabara was actually worried about the climb itself, but that was because of his own human blood. Yusuke, Hiei and Kurama's demonic blood would allow them to survive in harsher conditions then that of a human, but none the less they all bundled up for the cold climb.

They had made the arrangements and preparations the night before, and set off first thing in the morning. Once the actual climb began, there wasn't much talking between any of them, with the exception of a warning here and there from Hiei, who was using his Jagan Eye to map out the best possible course.

The first half of the day went on without any incident, and the four decided to take a break on a snowy cliff to plan out the rest of the day. They set up the high-altitude tent they had purchased and warmed up, discussing their plans.

"Our best bet is to rest here for about a half an hour, then continue the rest of the way up," explained Kurama, taking a few sips of water from a canteen.

"Shouldn't we rest again?" asked Kuwabara.

"There won't be any need," Kurama said, passing the canteen to Yusuke. "With our demonic and spiritual powers, as well as our own trainings, this climb shouldn't be any problem for us, as long as the weather holds in our favor."

"What are the chances of that happening?" asked Yusuke, passing the canteen to Hiei after a few sips.

Kurama smiled. "Let's just hope Mother Nature is on our side."

"Hmph. If the weather does become an issue, I'll scorch us a path," said Hiei dryly, tossing the canteen to Kuwabara.

"Heh. Good ol' Hiei," said Yusuke with a stiff laugh.

After the half hour had passed, they quickly packed up and began their ascent up the mountain.

Yusuke, who was second in their line and following Hiei, looked up towards the mountains peak through his yellow snow goggles.

_Shenzen…you're up there. I can feel it. _

A sudden thump in his chest made Yusuke stop dead in his tracks. All of them were tied together with a rope, so it didn't take the other three long to notice this.

"Yusuke! What's wrong?" shouted Kurama, who was behind him.

"I…I don't know," admitted Yusuke. He knew this feeling. It was the same sensation that happened when Raizen took over his body to defeat Sensui. Another thump in his chest, and then a yell from Kurama.

"Yusuke! You're hair!"

Yusuke touched the back of his neck, and sure enough his hair had grown an extra foot in length. He didn't need Kurama to tell him what color it had changed.

"We need to hurry!" shouted Yusuke. He was all too sure what was happening to him.

It wouldn't be long before the Ma-Zaku inside of him fully took over.

It took another six hours before Yusuke and the others found the other campsite. Hiei noticed it first with his Jagan Eye. He informed the group and they immediately stopped.

"Why would there be other people here?" asked Yusuke, glancing over at the campsite.

"It could be just a climbing party coming from Nepal," explained Kurama. "They're fairly common from that country."

"Wait a second…we're in the Everest Mountains. Why're there people from Nepal?" asked Yusuke.

"Everest is on the border of Tibet and Nepal. Due to a number of reasons, a lot of people climb the Nepal side instead of Tibet."

"Jeez Urameshi don't you know basic geography?" scoffed Kuwabara.

"Shut it," replied Yusuke, then a dreadful thought dawned on him. "Oh, shit."

"What's the problem now?" asked Kuwabara as Yusuke stood up.

"I think I know why there are people up here…and it's not a good thing."

Before anyone could get another word in, Yusuke began walking towards the site. There were a few tents set up, and one in particular stood out to be the main one. Yusuke gulped and prayed he was wrong as he entered the tent.

There were seven individuals in the tent, but only one stood out to Yusuke.

Keiko.

"Y-yusuke?" she asked, uncertain.

"Hey, Keiko," said Yusuke with a short wave.

Still looking bewildered, Keiko walked up to Yusuke and pressed her hand on his red face, "What…what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story," he said, taking her hand in his, "but you and your team _have_ to get out of here."

"What? Why?" she asked, frowning now. "Yusuke I told you in my message this is the biggest archeological find this century! I can't just up and leave!"

Yusuke frowned at her stubbornness. "Keiko this isn't an archeological find. This is something bad…really bad," he leant in and whispered, "Demon bad."

Keiko's eyes widened. "What?" she looked frantically at Yusuke, "But how can that be?"

"Keiko…look at my face," he said, removing the scarf and the snow hat. As he did, her eyes widened even more, "I'm sure you remember this. That thing you guys found? It has to do with Raizen…and his brother."

"Raizen's brother? So…that would make him your uncle?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah, that's right, and he's been trapped up here for a long time, and won't be in the best of moods when he comes out."

"Yusuke, still…how can I just up and move everyone? No one will want to leave…_I_ don't want to leave!"

"Keiko you have to…"

"I know! I know…it's just…"

At that moment, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara all entered the tent, leaving the other six archeologists looking more confused.

"Hey, Keiko," said Kuwabara, removing his own scarf. "How's it goin'?"

"Good afternoon, Keiko," said Kurama.

Hiei merely nodded in her general direction.

"It looks like everyone's here," said Keiko with a sigh, then she looked back at Yusuke. "I'll try to get everyone off the mountain as soon as I can, but it won't be easy."

Yusuke nodded. "I understand. Where's the seal…err, the find at?"

"About another two hundred feet up. This was the safest spot for us to set up camp."

"Alright. Thanks, Keiko. Get out of here as soon as you can, okay?"

She nodded, "Alright…and Yusuke? Please be careful."

"I will." He turned to leave, stopped, and looked back over at her, "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too."

"Let's head out, guys."

It was another hour and a half before they reached Shenzen's tomb. Yusuke was the first to reach the summit, and by the time he did he knew his hair had grown even more. It was probably already as white as the snow.

_He's about to awaken._

The four warriors walked closer to the site until they could finally get a good glance at what the tomb actually was. Just as in Yusuke's dream, he saw a black slab with the red marking of the Ma-Zaku. The marking was barely there anymore.

"Okay guys we have to hurry!" shouted Yusuke, and turned to Kurama, "Do your thing, Kurama!"

"Alright," Kurama replied and knelt down by the stone and placed his hand on it, "The seal is extremely weak right now, but I should be able to—"

A sudden explosion stopped Kurama in mid-sentence. The four turned around to find six demons, all with the mark of the Ma-Zaku, surrounding them.

"Crap!" shouted Kuwabara, swinging his arm and summoning the Jigan-To.

"You shall not disturb Lord Shenzen's awakening," said the first demon.

"I'd like to see you try and stop us," said Hiei, peeling off the white bandages around his arm to reveal the Black Dragon tattoo.

"Kurama you just worry about that seal! We'll hold 'em off!" yelled Yusuke, ripping off his jacket. Sure enough, his hair was all white and down to his lower back. He glared at the demons as his own demonic energy began to rise.

"I'll do what I can, Yusuke," replied Kurama, who started the sealing process.

"You shall not disturb Lord Shenzen's awakening," repeated the other demons.

"Bring it on!" shouted Yusuke and bolted towards the closest one to him with such speed it looked as though he teleported. The Ma-Zaku blood that was pumping inside of him increased his speed and power, but he knew the consequences of this. The stronger he was getting, the quicker Shenzen would appear.

_We need to stop these guys fast!_

A quick right hook sent the demon flying through the snow, leaving him stunned on the snowy ground, but only for a second. He got back up and launched himself up at Yusuke and began delivering lightning fast jabs directly at him. Yusuke was able to dodge them with relative ease, but the demon was fast. Acting reflexively, Yusuke merely fell to the ground and held up his right index finger,

"Spirit Gun!"

A blast of red energy erupted from his finger and blasted the demon into the white sky, where only ashes of its body would remain.

_I can't let them get close to one another…they might be just like the ones Kurama and I fought back in London!_

Hiei, too, was making fast work of the demon he was against. Katana out, he slashed through one with relative ease…well, it was actually more like twelve slashes, but to the eye of a human, it seemed more like a flash of light.

"Fool. Don't bother fighting if you can't even put up a decent fight."

"Careful, Hiei! If these guys get close together, they'll combine!" shouted Yusuke, moving towards the next demon.

"Hmph! As if that would matter."

"Quiet, half-pint!" yelled Kuwabara, who was dealing with his first demon. Kuwabara was strong, even Hiei had to admit that, but his speed was definitely the lowest of the group.

He swung the Jigan-To diagonally at the demon, but it merely swung back to avoid the blade.

"Stand still, you ugly monster!" grumbled Kuwabara, clearly frustrated. It didn't help matters that he hadn't been in a fight since the Chapter Black case over five years ago.

He watched the demons movements carefully, then a plan clicked to mind. As the demon launched at him once more, he side stepped and swung once more. The demon, like last time, merely leapt back, but this time Kuwabara was ready and thrust the Jigan-To towards it.

"Sword get long!" he cried, and the blade blasted forth an extra six feet, going right through the demon like butter.

"Nice moves! Took you long enough!" said Yusuke with a smug grin, delivering a high kick smack in the face of his second demon.

"Shut up, Urameshi or you're next!"

"How we doin', Kurama?" Yusuke shouted at the spirit fox.

"I'm close, Yusuke, just keep it—aah!"

Yusuke stopped fighting to look over at Kurama, who had just been thrown twenty feet in the air.

"Kurama!"

Kurama landed onto the snow covered ground; body twitching. Yusuke grit his teeth and turned back to the demon he was fighting, only to find that he had disappeared.

"What the-?"

Yusuke quickly noticed that the other two demons were also no longer with their fighting partners, Hiei and Kuwabara. Instead, they had all teleported in a triangle shape around Shenzen's tomb.

"The awakening…has begun."

A scourge of demonic energy enwrapped the three demons and the tomb, and its power was growing exponentially.

"Shit! Hiei! Kuwabara! Hit it with everything you got!" Yusuke screamed, knowing too well what would happen next.

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!"

"Sword get long!"

"Spirit Gun!"

All three of them blasted the demons with their most powerful attacks, but the demon energy appeared to be a barrier.

"Dammit!" swore Yusuke, running over to the now still Kurama, "Kurama! Wake up are you okay?"

Kurama opened his eyes slowly, "I'm sorry, Yusuke…"

"Not your fault, man, but what's happening now?"

"I don't know."

Yusuke helped his friend up, letting him rest his arm over his shoulder. The four could only watch as the demon energy grew larger. He walked Kurama over to Kuwabara.

"Hold on to him."

"Urameshi…what're you doing?" asked Kuwabara, taking a hold of the barely conscious Kurama.

"Only one thing left to do…go and have myself a family reunion." Yusuke began walking forward, but was stopped suddenly by Hiei grabbing his arm.

"Detective."

"Yes, Hiei?"

"Don't expect me to sit back with injured and idiotic."

"Watch it, half-pint!" shouted an enraged Kuwabara.

Yusuke frowned. "This is Ma-zaku business, Hiei."

"This is _demon_ business. If someone as powerful as Raizen is about to emerge, _I _need to know about it."

Yusuke grinned. "You mean _Mukuro_ needs to know about it."

"Don't make me slay two Ma-zaku's today."

The two glanced back at Kurama and Kuwabara. Kurama had fallen unconscious again.

"Kuwabara! Get Kurama off this rock, alright?" Yusuke shouted.

"Alright. Be careful, Urameshi! You too, three-eyes!"

"Hmph," replied Hiei as he and Yusuke walked slowly toward the exploding demonic power. Neither could see the three demons that had surrounded Shenzen's tomb.

_They must have sacrificed themselves to Shenzen. Shit, we're out of time._

All at once, the demonic energy subsided. Yusuke and Hiei glanced at one another, then back at the spot. The tomb was no longer there; instead stood the outline of a man. He lay on the snow, covered in tattered robes. His long, white hair covered most of his back.

Shenzen.

"What do you think the chances are he's still asleep?" asked Yusuke, standing his ground.

"Not good," answered Hiei, gripping the hilt of his sword.

"Hrrraaaahhhh!"

Yusuke and Hiei's eyes opened wide as Shenzen's body suddenly jolted up with a scream. More demonic energy poured out of his body, causing both of them to be pushed back. Cracks in the icy mountain began to appear below him.

"Dammit! Been awhile since energies been able to do _that_ to me!" shouted Yusuke over the scream.

"We've no time to be impressed!" yelled Hiei, drawing his blade. Black fire began to wrap around it.

"Let's kick his ass!" Red energy enwrapped Yusuke's body.

"Let's."

And the two rushed forward with a blaze of energy, ready to fight tooth and nail to stop this creature of destruction…a beast that even Yusuke's ancestral father could not beat.


End file.
